HILLYARD HAPPINESS

Aside from renting a canoe, we didn't really make any other plans--we didn't even have anywhere to camp when we left, and upon our arrival at Devil's Fork State Park we learned that there wasn't a single campsite available for miles--for the ENTIRE weekend. Crap. I had apparently confused the term 'walk-up' with 'walk-in'--which actually mean two VERY different things. Well, we had found a site that looked to be vacant and began setting up camp when this random dude and his little posse of kids told us he had all of these sites reserved for the whole weekend (pointing at 4 other sites that also appeared to be vacant). When he saw our distraught reactions, he quickly told us that the park required them to reserve the spots from Friday to Monday (which he had reserved in January--WHAT??) and that none of his friends would be showing up until Saturday. And then he kindly said we were more than welcome to stay there for the one night. So yeah--we got extra lucky this time and woke up to the most beautiful sunrise on the lake. Ohhh, and Libby thinks that sleeping with us in the tent is basically the greatest thing ever--haha! Spoiled dog. Something else that was totally new for both of us, was camping somewhere that doesn't cool down at night....We were sitting around the fire, cooking our little hobo dinners and realized that having a fire was complete overkill. Who knew camping without freezing your behind even existed. So much for all of the the jackets and sweatshirts I had packed--haha, won't be needing those! We are obviously still getting the hang of this place. 

In the morning we set out to find the 'Jumping Off Rock' Overlook, where we experienced the most incredible vistas of Lake Jocassee. I honestly couldn't believe we were still in South Carolina, and not somewhere much more exotic. I probably could have sat there on the ledge for most of the day, just taking in the view. And the best part--you don't even need to hike to get there! A short 5-mile drive along a winding dirt road will take you straight to the spot. But somehow we were still the only ones there. I love that we were able to capture the serenity of this awesome place so I can experience it over and over again for years to come.